Medea and the Modern Mother: Transmutations in Motherhood

In the myth of Medea, as depicted by the Greek playwright Euripides, Medea, who not only represents the feminine but also the forces of nature and transformation, is profoundly incompatible with the "Old King" — or the patriarchal principle. She reacts in rage, not necessarily scorn as is so often projected onto her. She destroys and creates havoc, as the unconscious does when it is not heard or denied.

This half-day class addresses both the actuality of maternal filicide and the symbolism of it, as suggested by Dr. Laufer and supported by Jungian literature. In her work as a perinatal mental health specialist, Laufer sees not only women who suffer from psychological anguish associated with the perinatal experience, but women who have been in such a severe postpartum mental health crisis that they have committed the unthinkable. This class will address why this continues to happen, and what these events may be saying about our world and our social construction of motherhood.